The night before the Corona del Mar High baseball team tried to wrap up its own tournament undefeated, Coach John Emme made a couple of calls. He talked with Hesperia Oak Hills Coach Jason Story, asking him if his team could play CdM on Wednesday.
A scheduling conflict prevented the Sea Kings from going up against Villa Park in the Beach Pit Classic final. Unlike CdM, Villa Park isn't on spring break this week and it couldn't get out of school early to play at 11 a.m.
Oak Hills isn't on spring break either, but Story couldn't pass up the chance to play at CdM, even if it meant leaving the High Desert at 7:30. The Bulldogs made the 80-mile drive, fighting the morning traffic for almost two hours.
When they arrived at CdM, Oak Hills learned it had another daunting task. The Bulldogs were facing pitcher Evan Larsen, who has the likes of Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State, UCLA and UC Irvine interested in his services.